Airs Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 11 p.m. on KPBSTV

In 2009 a team of marine archeologists carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the remote Italian island of Ventotene made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition, each one fully laden with exotic goods. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it, suggesting that these ships had not capsized but had gone to the bottom of the sea intact and upright. What happened to these ancient ships? What were they carrying and why had they traveled to this remote, rocky island in the first place?

Photo Gallery

Above: The crew of the Aurora Trust on board their ship, the Fortaleza, in Ventotene port.

In June 2010, the team returns to Ventotene to investigate the wrecks, with the blessing of the Italian government. The island where this ‘graveyard’ of ships was found holds significance in ancient Roman history: Emperors banished defiant women into exile there.

But as this was essentially a royal prison, an extravagant palace was built on the island to house the captive women. The massive underground galleries that supplied the villa with water can still be explored today. Their walls are still covered in the original Roman plaster. Were the ships carrying supplies to this island of exiled misery?

Video

Preview: SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Lost Ships Of Rome

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Above: "Lost Ships Of Rome" - In 2009 a team of marine archeologists carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the remote Italian island of Ventotene made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition, each one fully laden with exotic goods. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it, suggesting that these ships had not capsized but had gone to the bottom of the sea intact and upright.